Slider for slide fasteners



Sept. 29, 1942. A. E. CARLILE 2,296,825 7 SLIIEDER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Filed June '7, 1941 INVYENTPR ATTORNEY.

v I j Patented ,Sept. 29,1942

s .PATENT' OFFICE SLIDER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Alfred E. Carlile, Meadville, Pa., assignor to Talon,

Inc., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application Jim 7', 1941, Serial No. 397,035 2 Claims. (01.24-205) This invention relates to slide fasteners and, in particular, to the provision of a new and improved slider for slide fasteners and a new and improved method of slider assembly.

It is the object of this invention to provide an.

automatic lock slider for slide fasteners, which is cheap, and which may be economically and conveniently assembled. I

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a slider wherein the lock operating pull tab is of su'chconstruction' and is assem bled in such manner that accidental removal thereof after assembly is totally prevented.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which forms a part thereof, and will be pointed outin the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a fragmentary view, in perspective, of

a slide fastener embodying a slider constructed according to the principles of t invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken subst ntially on the lin 2-4 of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of F18. 2; l

Fig; 615 a fragmentary view, in perspective, illustrating the manner in which the lock biasing means is assembled; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a conventional pull tab having oppositely directed pivot trunnions with separated ends.

In United States Letters-Patent No. 1,966,457,

granted July 17, 1934, to Samuel H. Norton and Pedar N'edal, a lock slider for slide fasteners is shown, wherein the locking member isin the form of a hollow sheet metal member with top,

side walls and end walls. This locking member overlies a longitudinal lug on the front wing of the slider body andis pivotally secured thereto at one end. The free; end of the locking member is provided with locking projections adapted to project into the channel of the slider into looking member, about its pivot, toward locking position. Because of their small size, it is extremely diflicult to handle and assemble such leaf springs which must be attached to the lug on the slider before attachment of the locking member. According to this invention, these difflculties of assembly are eliminated by the use of a biasing member of resilient material such as rubber, synthetic rubber or the' like, the attachment of the locking member to the slider being accomplished prior to insertion of the resilient biasing member.

Furthermore, the pull tab is provided at its inner end with a continuous integral pivot bar and the central portion of the above-described lug on the slider body is removed to form a pair of spaced lugs between which the pivot bar is accommodated. The pull tab locking member and slider body are maintained in operative relation by the attachment of the locking member to the slider body, accidental detachment of the pull tab by twisting being totally prevented by the continuity of its pivot bar.

Fig. l of the drawings shows a slider according to this invention applied to a conventional slide fastener comprising a pair of complementary stringers l0 and II secured together at their lower ends. Each stringer comprises a tape I2 with a thickened reinforced edge I4, to which is secured a row of predeterminedly spaced interlocking fastener members IS. The lower ends of the reinforced edges M are secured together by a conventional bottom stop or bottom end fitting l6 clamped therebetween. Longitudinal movement of the slider on the interlocking fastener members'IS of the stringers l0 and II causes progressive engagement and disengagement of theinterlocking fastener members IE to open and close the fastener.

The slider is generally designated 20 and comprises a pair ofplate-like wings 2| and 22 provided with side flanges 23 and secured together in predetermined spaced relationship by a wedge or neck member 24 providing integral connection of their upper ends. The inner surfaces of the flanges 23 cooperate with the surfaces of the wedge or neck member 24 to form an upwardly diverging guide channel for the rows of interlocking fastener members l5 which are confined therein. While the rear wing member 22 has a flat outer surface, a pair of upstanding lugs extends outwardly from the outer, front surface of the front wing member'2l. These lugs are substantially spaced longitudinally of the slider body and the upper lug 25 may be designated the pivot lug, because the locking member is pivoted thereto, pivot recesses 26 (Fig. 4) being provided at opposite sides of the pivot lug 25 for this purpose. The other lug 21 may be designated the locking member limiting lug since it is provided at opposite sides with recesses 28 which accommodate projections or limiting stops formed at the lower end of the locking member for predeterminedly limiting movement of the locking member about the pivot recesses 26', as will hereinafter most clearly appear.

Locking projection accommodating apertures 29 (Fig. 5) extend through the front wing 2! at each side of the locking member limiting lug 2i and provide for access of the locking projections 38 of the locking member into the channel of the slider body.

The locking member is generally designated 33 and comprises a hollow sheet metal member having a generally rectangular top wall 3!, similar side walls 32, a lower end wall 33 and an upper end wall 32. The central portion of each side wall 32 is cut away, as shown at 35 (Fig. 2), to accommodate the pivot bar or pivot portion is at the inner end of the pull tab 35.

Each side wall 32 is provided at its upper end with a struck-in portion which forms a pivot projection or trunnion 36 closely engaging one of the pivot recesses 26 (Fig. 4) pivotally to secure the upper end of the locking memmr 30 to the pivot lug 25. is provided with a similar depression which forms a pair of limiting stops.3'l which cooperate with the above-described recesses 23 predeterminedly to limit movement of the lower end of the looking member 33, both inwardly of the slider body and outwardly of the slider body, as shown in Fig. 5. Adjacent its lower or free end, each side wall 32 is provided with a locking projection of locking prong 33, adapted to project through one of the apertures 22. These locking prongs 33 are spaced longitudinally with respect to one another a distance equal to the pitch of the fastener whereby both may engage simultaneously in a space between adjacent interlocking fastener 1 members l5.

In order that the locking member shall be constantly biased toward locking position, a block at of resilient material such as rubber, synthetic rubber, or the like, is secured between the upper end wall 34 of the locking member 30 and the upper side of the pivot lug 25 which is provided with a notch 25a (Fig. 2) at that side to maintain the block 40 in position. This block 40 is assembled under compression, whereby its expansive force constantly urges the locking member clockwise, as seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The adjustment of the force exerted by the block may be accomplished by variation in the position of the upper end wall 34 of the locking member with respect to the upper end edges 32a (Fig. 6) of the side walls 32.

Shown in dash lines in Fig. 2 is the position of the end wall 34 wherein no compression will be applied to the block in the locked position of the slider, as shown in that figure. When, however, the end wall 34 is bent down from the dash line position to the full line position shown in Fig. 2, predetermined initial compression is applied to the block 40. This compression is, of course, increased when the locking member 30 is 30' The lower end of each side wall 32 moved in counterclockwise direction from the locking position shown in Fig. 2 to its unlocked position (Fig. 5) In this unlocked position, the locking prongs or looking projections 38 of the member 30 locking member are withdrawn through the apertures 29 from the channel of the slider, as shown in Fig. 5.

The manner in which the locking member 30 and biasing member, or block 40, are assembled to the body of the slider is as follows. The looking member 30 is stamped from a flat sheet and the depressions forming trunnions 36 and stops 31 are placed therein in suitable manner. The side walls 32 and lower end wall 33 are bent down to their final position, while the upper end wall 33 is bent to the intermediate position shown in Fig. 6. The locking member is then snapped over the lugs 25and 2'! (subsequent to placement of the pivot portion or pivot bar 43 of the pull tab in the cut-away portion 35 of the side walls), whereby the pivot recesses 26 are closely engaged by the struck-in projections or trunnions 33 and stops 3'5 are loosely confined in the recesses 28, as shown in Fig. 5. Thereafter, a strip 39 of rubber, synthetic rubber, or'the like, is placed between the upper surfaces of the upper end wall 34 of the locking member 30 and the upper side edges 32a of the side walls 32 thereof, and the upper end wall 34 is bent inwardly in suitable manner from the-intermediate position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 2, whereby the sharp upper end edges 32a of the side walls 32 and the side edges 34a of the upper end wall 34 will shear off a section of the strip 39 equal in length to the distance between the side walls .32.

This section forms the above-described block 43 which is the biasing member of the slider.

The conventional type of pull tab is shown in Fig. 7 The pull tab, generally designated M, is of plate-like form, provided with a thong-receiving aperture 32 at its outer end and having a portion of its inner end slotted or cut away to form a pair of legs 43 terminating in oppositely disposed inwardly directed trunnions or pivot projections 43, the pivot projections being reduced toward their ends. These trunnions'or pivot projections M are adapted to extend into the cutaway portion 35 of the side walls, whereby they are disposed between the front face of the front wing 2i and the locking member 30. Tension applied to the pull tab 4| thus moves the locking in counterclockwise direction, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, from the position of Fig. 2 to the unlocked position (Fig. 5) against the biasing member or resilient block 40.

While such pull tabs are generally effective, nevertheless, in operation, the application of manual twisting forces often causes undue separation of the pivot projections or trunnions 44, whereby 'they'can escape from the space between the locking member 30 and the front surface of the wing 2|, causing accidental detachment of the pull tab from the slider.

In order totally to obviate the above-described undesirable accidental separation of the pull tab and slider, I have provided anew and improved pull tab construction, especially adapted for use with the above-described slider constructiomand forming a part of the preferred embodiment thereof. This pull tab construction is shown in Figs. 1 to 4 and comprises a plate-like member 45 provided with a thong-receiving apertur 46 at its outer end and having an aperture 41 at its inner end, which forms a pair of legs 48 similar to the above described legs 33, but connected at their lower ends by a single integral pivot bar 49 extending continuously from leg to leg. Since the main portion of the pull tab forms with the legs 48 and pivot bar 49 what is, in effect, a closed loop, acciand conveniently manufactured and wherein .acv cidental detachment of the pull tab from the slider is prevented by the construction of the pull tab. It will likewise appear that I have provided a new and improved method for assembling such a slider wherein the biasing means is applied after the locking member is attached to the slider body and wherein the biasing force may be varied at will by adjustment of a part-or the locking member.

It is, of course, to be understood that the above description is merely illustrative and in nowise limiting and that I desire to comprehend within my invention such modifications as are included within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

1. In a slider tor slide fasteners apair of con-' nected wings forming a fastener member guide channel therebetween, one of said wings having a locking prong receiving aperture communicating with said guide channel, 9. lug projecting outwardly from said last-named wing, a locking member pivotally connected adjacent one end to said lug and having a locking prong extensible through said aperture into and out or said channel upon pivotal movement or said locking memher, said locking member having a wall extending over said lug, and a biasing member comprising a block of resilient material between said lug and said wall or said locking member and acting on said wall for normally urging said locking member toward locking position wherein said locking prong is projected into said guide channel, said wall being bendable with respect to said locking member for adjusting the compressive force exerted by said biasing member.

2. In a slider for slide fasteners, a pair of connected wings forming a fastener member guide channel therebetween, one of said wi gs having a locking prong receiving aperture communicating with said guide channel, a lug projecting outwardly from said last-named wing and having a biasing memberretaining notch in its upper side, a locking member pivotally connected adjacent itsupper end to said lug and having a locking prong extensible through said aperture into and out of said channel upon pivotal movement of said locking member to lock and unlock said slider, said locking member having a wall at its upper end extending over the notch in said lug, a biasing member comprising a block of resilient material in said notch between said lug and said wall of said locking member and normally urging I said locking member toward locking position wherein said locking prong is projected into said ALFREDncARnrLE. 

